RESUMEN
This cross-sectional study was part of a comprehensive workplace health promotion program (WHPP) implemented in the work environment of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Western Slovenia, which included web-based educational campaigns aimed at promoting positive lifestyle changes among workers, including healthy eating habits and physical activity. As part of this program, which included campaigns in the areas of stress management, ergonomics, sleep hygiene, communication, work climate, and absenteeism, we developed and examined the engagement frequency in web-based content on healthy eating and physical activity for the companies included in the WHPP. This part of the project lasted from 2020 to 2022. Prior to the educational campaign, participants voluntarily completed a screening questionnaire. We analyzed the patterns of 370 workers in terms of their job classification (predominantly sedentary, predominantly standing, or predominantly physical), body mass index (BMI), gender, age, and selected indicators of diet and physical activity. Of the 88 companies participating in the WHPP, 26 took part in our web-based educational campaigns on nutrition and physical activity. Through an empirical analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics and a linear regression, we found that, on average, the engagement frequency (i.e., proportion of educational personal e-mails read) was highest among men with sedentary work, with older employees participating more actively than expected. Moreover, workers with good dietary habits and a favorable BMI proved to be the most avid readers of the web-based campaigns. Despite the overall low participant engagement frequency, it is clear that web-based educational campaigns are more appealing to workers with sedentary jobs and good dietary habits. This study provides valuable information on the potential effectiveness of appropriate workplace health promotion campaigns for SMEs and public health practices.
Asunto(s)
Ejercicio Físico , Estado Nutricional , Masculino , Humanos , Estudios Transversales , Dieta , InternetRESUMEN
Workplace health promotion programmes (WHPPs) are among the most important measures to improve the health and motivation of the ageing workforce. However, they are accompanied with certain challenges, such as low participation rates and higher participation levels of the more health-conscious workers, often failing to engage those who need such interventions the most. Following the PRISMA guidelines, this scoping review examined participation rates reported in articles on WHPPs to identify potential knowledge gaps. The results are worrying: participation rates are not only infrequently reported, but also low. Of the 58 articles, 37 report participation rates, with the majority (20) reporting an average participation rate of less than 50%. Reported participation rates refer either to different target groups, the type of intervention, or to single points in time, which makes it difficult to establish consistent criteria for comparison. We argue that despite the importance of WHPP efficacy, research focus should shift to the determinants of participation, as well as the issue of standardising the reporting of participation rates, alongside the potential problem of reporting bias.
Asunto(s)
Salud Laboral , Humanos , Promoción de la Salud/métodos , Lugar de Trabajo , Personal de Salud , MotivaciónRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Work engagement is crucial for quality care at the primary healthcare level. This is especially true during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has effects on the community from both a health and economic point of view. For example, inadequate work engagement can lead to fewer referrals to the secondary healthcare level. This study aims to examine the work engagement level in a public healthcare organisation at the primary healthcare level to further explore the role of work environment characteristics. The study addresses a research gap in the field of primary healthcare and emphasises the importance of managing the factors promoting work engagement. The future of healthcare will be strongly shaped by population ageing and Covid-19 disruption, which have created unpredictable and unfavourable working situations. METHOD: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used including the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale with a non-probabilistic availability sample of 630 employees of the Community Health Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2018. The role of the work environment was observed by applying the job resources concept adapted to the context of the observed organisation. RESULTS: Work engagement in the observed organisation is higher compared to previous research. The research confirmed that job resources play an important role in employees' work engagement. The high level of work engagement of the home care nursing employees coupled with the significant proportions of unengaged in the management of the organization also caught our attention. This difference highlights the importance of the leadership style, career choices and employment process that exist in an institution. CONCLUSION: The study has important implications for healthcare management at the primary level for unlocking the work engagement by 'managing' the factors stimulating work engagement. The hidden potential is especially large in so called 'soft areas', such as leadership style, communication and organisational climate, which are also less expensive to manage than other aspects of the work environment.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Compromiso Laboral , COVID-19/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Humanos , Satisfacción en el Trabajo , Pandemias , Atención Primaria de Salud , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Background: Premature death, chronic disease, and productivity loss can be reduced with the help of programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. Workplace health promotion programs have been shown to be an efficient way of improving employee health. These can also benefit employers by improving retention, reducing worker turnover, and lowering healthcare costs. In Slovenia, a workplace health promotion program called "STAR-VITAL-Joint Measures for the Vitality of Older Workers" targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises has been ongoing since September 2017. We hypothesize that this workplace health promotion program will yield long-term health changes for the included employees and employers. Methods/Design: The manuscript presents a workplace health promotion program design that introduces some novel approaches and solutions to workplace health promotion program implementation. It also introduces a measurement of their effects that address the problem of low participation rates and the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programs, as follows: (1) the multifaceted and individualised approach to implementation, (2) customer relationship management (CRM) -based interaction management with program participants, and (3) impact evaluation based on employee health and labour market data observing both intermediate outcomes and the final outcomes based on national micro administrative data. Discussion: Although the novel approaches introduced with the STAR-VITAL program proved to be effective during the COVID-19 pandemic, they deserve the attention of scholars and practitioners. Further research is called for to further explore the potential of CRM in health promotion contexts, the effectiveness of multifaceted and individualised workplace health promotion program interventions, and micro administrative data-based impact evaluations. Conclusions: The STAR-VITAL program introduces several new approaches addressing the problem of low participation rates and the effectiveness of WHPPs. Further research is called for to discover and explore the potential of those novel approaches.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Salud Laboral , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Promoción de la Salud , Humanos , Pandemias , Lugar de TrabajoRESUMEN
AIM: To examine the conflict resolution styles used in the physician-nurse teamwork in primary health care, depending on individual characteristics, contextual factors, and organizational and sociocultural contexts. BACKGROUND: Conflicts significantly affect the quality of healthcare services and staffing challenges, and consequently the performance and efficiency of organizations. Their management plays an important role in any healthcare organizations and deserves the attention of researcher's healthcare management and team leaders. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design. METHOD: Thomas-Kilmann Conflict MODE Instrument was used on a sample comprising 173 nurses and 125 physicians working in teams at the Community Health Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2018. RESULTS: The most predominant conflict resolution styles were compromising and avoiding, followed by accommodating, collaborating and competing. The predominant resolution style among nurses was avoiding, and among physicians was compromising. There were statistically significant differences in the conflict resolution style according to gender (χ2 (1) = 0.035, p < .059), education (χ2 (1) = 0.014, p < .05) and tenure (χ2 (1) = 0.025, p < .05). CONCLUSION: Our research results differed from those of other studies, possibly due to the difference in the sample and research setting. They indicated that the specifics of work and situation significantly moderate conflict in healthcare organizations. IMPACT: The established divergence of results indicates the need for future research on conflict in healthcare settings to more consistently consider the situational context and the role of management and/or leadership.